Electric time-switch.



No. 876,416. PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908. R. P. s. VBNNER & R. 0. GRIBSBAGH.

ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB.12,1907.

' 6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

MT/VASSES:

, PATENT-ED JAN. 14, 1908. s. VBNNER R. 0'. GRIBSBAGH. ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

6 SEBETS-SHEET 3.

ARcs J I GLOW Mr/vissm No. 8' 76,416. PATENTED JAN.14, 1908. R. 1?. s. VBNNER & R. c. GRIESBAGEL ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.12, 1907.

a SHEETS-SHEET 6 fax/m I 2 swears IS an index hand, showin the oint and i, for instance an electric lighting circuit,

. one of the mercury cu s h.

.cups is closed by a unnel-shaped lid 3 extending into the cup, but not touching the and the clock-hand 0 serves to break it.

The entire a paratus works as follows: The clock-han s are set to the desired radius of the dial and then fixed and the clock-work ,set in motion. The clock hands will then revolve in the direction of the arrow; at the proper time the stud of the hand'b will meet the lever 7c and turnit slowly, while storing up energy in the spring 7'. At the same time the shortarm mwill-draw the lever a downward, while the spring 0 keeps it incontact with the edge of the strip or enlargement 1'. Consequently the step Wlll be situated below the said Stag); before t 1e hand I) releases the lever kj en this takes place, the spring 9' pulls the lever 76 back rapidly, the lever n ascends bodily and lifts the contact lever f rapidly, so as to abut against the fixed contact h and close the lighting circuit. The shoulder keeps the lever in this position,

until the ever njis turne by the releasingclock-hand c. A short turn of the lever n releases the strip r from the step q and allows the lever f to drop, thereby breaking the .eircuit.

In the modification represented by Fig. 2 the current is led through a pair of terminals y, y, -to a pair of mercury cups h zplaced one behind the other in close'proximity to each other, (only one of them is seen in the drawing), so that they can be easily bridged over by a fork fixed to the contact rodf but insulated from the same, the said fork having a pair of curved prongs, each of which di s into Each of t c said mercury. The orifice of the said funnel is only large enough to allow the fork to pass easily; consequently, the spark formed, when the prong leaves the mercury, will be extinguis vapor, before the end of the fork leaves the orifice of the funnel. The funnel also prevents the spilling' of mercury.

As shown by the drawing, the group of contact rods at the end of the lever f are curved from the fulcrum e of the said lever as a center, in order to reduce as much as possible the clearance between the said rods and the orifices of the funnel-shaped lids y..

The rigid contact leverf is pivoted at 'e and carries on its rear extension a balance weight. Instead of the lateral extension 1* it has a knife edge r and in addition a second knife edge w, while the short arm 'm of the starting or bell-crank lever is, m carries the fulcrum of a,'two-armed pawl 'w,the u per end of which forms a knife rest for tie knife ed by the pressure of the mercury edge w; The knife edge r finds a support on a step formed on the sideof the releasing lever'n I The drawi shows the mechanism in the position, whic it-assumes', after the contact ever has been lifted and the working circuit broken. In this position the lever f 'is'suported by the knife edge and the step" 'orm'ed on the side of the retaining lever '11.,

which has its fulcrum on the base plate u.

As soon as the clock-hand c reaches the stud a mounted on the upper end of the retaining lever n, the, latter will he turnd'tforward,

away from the knife edge r, and allow the r lever f to dro by is ow nweight so as'to close the electric clruit. theclockhands continue to turn, the hand I) will meet'the lever k and turn it forward slow] while stretching the spring j; The paw 10' will" descend with the arm m. untilit' meets the lower one of the two 'stop-pins as, which causesithe pawl w to turn, so as'to place-it underneath the knife edge w. As soon as the arm,b leaves the bell-crank lever k (whose downward. motion is limited'by' a sto -pin 3:) the spring 1' will turn the-lever. k ackward, the pawl w will lift the knifeedge to together with the lever f and break the circuit. When the short arm of the",

pawl to touches the upper one .of the stop-1 ife edge to and allow the lever f todrop slightly, until the knife edge r is supported sins cc, the pawl will turn away from the by the lever n, which is constantlydit'awn.

towards the knife edge by the spriri'gbt.

The nechanism will therefore again the position shown in Fig. 2.

'Asshown by the drawing, the raise lever n is preferably composed of two parts,

secured together by a screw and a slot, to, render the total length'of the said le vlerf 4 adjrustable.

he electric time 'switch represented by Fig. 3 isadapted to open and close twocircuits, for instance, for exchanging from'an' are lamp circuit to an incandescent-circuit and vice-versa. For this urpose'the com tact lever) has two arms aced symmetrically to the fulcrum e, eac arm carrying a,

fork dipping into a pair of mercury cu h" arld a third handequall adjustable as the others, is mounted on t e axle of the time disk for the purpose of giving an intermediate position, when neither .contact is de-- sired to be made. In this' position,shownby the drawing, the'contact lever j? is held by a second knife rest situated lower" than the knife'rest q.

If the clock is set in motion or continues to move, the clock-,handfor the arc-lamps will meet the lever 11." and turnit with the mercury forming partof thecircuit which includes the arc lamp, while the glow" 1'26 away from the knife ed'ge rfsupported by 45 ,a intermediate lever I, so as to press with its lever f from dropping from its e evated posithe'desired time the other short clock hand I) will act on the star-wheel, thereby releasing the first hook lever and opening the first circuit. If the two circuits serve to light 5 two series of arc lamps; the lamps will therefore be lightedat the same tiine, and extinguished at different times. For instance on the first, third and fifth day the first series will be extinguished early and the second series late, while on the second, fourth and sixth day the second series will be extinguished early and the first late, and so on in alternation.

In certain cases, for instances, when the 1.; electric time switch is used foralternately completing and breaking an electric lighting circuit, it is desired to suspend or modify its operation at .certain intervals, for ipstance every Sunday, For this purpose we employ a selective device, which is propelled a iven' distance at every. revolution of the sockhands, and resumesits ori 'nal position by the seventh revolution of t e same. In six of its positions the said selective device does not act on the circuit closing device, but in the seventh position it looks the same, so that thecircuit cannot be completed; until the selective device has again been displaced by th'ezgrmally bein subsequent revolution of the axle carrying the clock-hands. For the sake of simplicity one of the clock-hands, which controls the circuit-closing device mentioned above, is-

used for setting the selective device, and thev latter chiefly consists of a,seven-arr-ned starwheel, although an endless belt provided with seven arms may be used. v i

Fig. 4 shows a selective device applied to a Elaiinum contact switch of the type shown ig. 1. i

40 Each of the arms of the star-wheel ismarl ed with the initial of the corresponding week day. Two of the arms'fl and M) are provided with studs (shown-in dotted lines) which on the selected days act on-one arm 0 ,0 her arm against the contact lever f and hold g t e latter clear of the lateral projection r of ;tl,e same. Consequently, when the lever n iri'ses (after the lever I; has been released by ltlre arm 1)) it cannot lift the lever f, so as to it ch the contact 71'. W'h'en the star-wheel i'si gain turned bythe cloek-handb, the lever l :i s released and returns to' the position of ii (i t shown by Fi 4-, in which position the D ieiver n is free to act as in Fig. 1.

' lFi 5 shows the application of the stariwhee to a switch of the type represented by Fig. 2.: T he arm W of-the star-wheel has a stud N, and an arm 0 is fixed to the contact 0 lever f at right angles to the same, the free end of the arm 0 being placed in the path of the stud N and adapted to engage with the same','when the star-wheel occupies a given position, so that the star-wheel revents the tion and making contact with the mercury. During the subsequent revolution of the clock-hands the star-wheel is again turned one division and releases the arm 0. The star-wheel may have pegs on two or-more of its arms, in case its normaloperation is to be suspended more frequently.

One of the principal results of our improvements in comparison with the electric time switches previously known is ,,that the switch 5 mechanism opposesless resistance to the inction of the clock, and the latter is therefore" not liable to derangement or to become inaccurate.

Our switch also'insures a rapid completion and breaking of circuits, it reducesthe sparking to a minimum and hasa comparatively small number'of parts. Y What we claim is 1. An electric trlme swltch com its construction a clockwork provi ed With a dial, a plurality of clock-hands adapted to turn on the axis of the dial and adjustable in relation to t he latter, a pair of operating 1.9K vers adapted to be turned in one direction 0 by the revolving clock-hands and in the" op posite direction by springs, one lever norplaced in the path of one clockhand and t e other being placed in the path of another clock-hand, a contact lever mo'v- 9'5 able within givenlimits in a plane parallel to the operating levers,- and an electric circuit adapted-to be alternately closed and broken by the said contact lever, the first ofthe said operatin levers being shaped as a bell-crank 6 "leverjan adapted to place the contact lever in one l of its extreme positions by sgri ower," after the corresponding clockan as released the said lever, and the second operating le verbeing adapted to support the 65' contact lever in one of its extreme positions, until it'is "turned by another clock-hand, substantially as described.

2. In an electric time switch, the cornbina tion of an electric working circuit and a clock having a plurality of adjustable clock-hands, with a contact lever having a device for al-" ternstely closing and breaking the ,said'working circuit and a device for retaining the con tact lever in one of its extreme positions, a 5 two-armed starting lever adapted to be turned slowly in one direction by one of the clock-hands, while storing up energy in a spring, andon its release from the said clockhand to turn the contact lever rapidly under 2 the influence of the'said spring, a retainin lever laced within the reach of the ,secon clockand'and adapted to su port the contact lever in its new position due totheoperation of the starting lever), until the retainus ing lever is turned by the second clock-hand, and a spring adapted to replace the retaining lever in its starting position, substantially as described.

3. In an electric time switch having a con- 30 tact lever with mercury contacts adapted to alternately complete and break an electric circuit, and a plurality of revolving clockhands adapted to control the position of the said contact-lever through suitable intermediate mechanism, the combination of a contact lever having a knife edge extending from the side of the same, with a bell-crank lever adapted to be turned forward slowly between'given limits by one of the revolving ('l()(il(llztllLlS, a spring adapted to'withdraw it rapidly, when released by the clock-hand, a pawl pivoted to the short arm of the bell-- crank lever and movable within given limits, a retaining lever having its free end placed within the path of the second clock-hand, and a spring adapted to oppose the forward motion of the retaining lever and to withdraw it rapidly after its release from the clock-haul, the upper end of the pawl forming a knife rest adapted to lift one of the said knife edges together with the contact lever, when the bell-crank lever is released, and the side of the retaining lever having a knife rest adapted to support the contact lever in the elevated position until the retaining lever is turned by the clock, substantially as de scribed.

4. A11 electric time switch comprising in its construction a clockwork provided. with a dial, a pair of clock-hands adapted to turn on the axis of the dial, an electric operating circuit including a pair of mercury cups, a contact lever having a pair of contact rods adapted to complete the electric circuit by dipping into the said mercury cups, mechanism intermediate the clockwork and the-contact lever, adapted to be turned forward slowly by one of the revolving clock-hands and then to lift the lever rapidly under the influence of a spring so as to break the electric circuit, and a lever intermediate the clock-work and the contactleverpda ted to support the contact lever in its e evated position under the influence or a spring, and

then to be turned forward by the other clock-hand so as to release the contact lever and allow it to drop, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

5. An electric time switch comprising in its construction an electric working circuit haw,

ing for its terminals a pair of mercury cups in proximity to each other, a clockwork-with a )air of revolving clock-hands, a contact lever having at its free end a pair of rods adapted to dip into and rise out of the said mercury cups, a two-armed starting lever, adapted to be turned slowly in one direction by one of the clock-hands, while accumulatingenergy in a spring, and on its release to liftthe contact lever under the influence of the said spring, a retaining lever placed within the path of the second cloclohand and adapted to support the contact lever in the elevated positlon until the retaining lever is turned by the said clock-hand, and a spring adapted to replace the retaining lever into its wor position, after it has been released by the clock-hand, substantially as described. 6.. An electric time switch comprising in,

cult, a contact lever adapted to alternatelyopen and close the said circuit, a (pair 0f 0 crating levers adapted to be turne' in one irection one after the other by the revolving clock-hands and then to be replaced intothe starting position by springs, one of the said levers normally being placed in the path of a a one of the said clock-hands and the other in the path of the other clock-hand, a contact 1 lever placed approximately at right angles to i the said 0 eratin levers and movable within given. limits, an electric circuit adapted to be alternately closed and openedby the said contact lever, one of the said operating levers being adapted after its release from the clock-hand, to change the position of the contact lever by spring power, and the second operating lever being ada ted to subseq'ucntly support the contact ever in the new position, until the second operatinglever is turned by the clock-han(l, a selective device comprising a wheel adapted to be turned a given fraction of a circle by each revolution of the clock-hands, and an intermediate device adapted to control the position of the contact lever, so as to prevent the second operating lever from acting on the same when. the clock-hands have made a given number of revolutions, and to be set out of action by the subsequent revolution of the clock-hands, substantially as described.

7. In an electric time switch the combination of an electric circuit, with acontaetlever adaptedto open and close the same alternately, a clockwork having a plurality of elock hands, a starting lever adaptealto be turned forward slowly by one of the said cl.ock-hands, and thereby to change the osition of the said contact lever, a spring a apted to accumulate energy by the forward motion of the said clock-hand and then to draw the starting lever backward, a retaining lever adapted to be turned forward by another of the said clock-hands and, provided with a support adapted to retain t 1e contact lever, and a spring adapted to draw the retaining lever backward, substantially as described I and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have set our hands hereunto in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses. llOllllll'l l ltA NCIS SlllllBO'lTOM YENNER.

ROBERT (lONS'lA NlllNE GlllESBACHt Witnesses 2 H11). JAMEsoN, F. L. RAND. 

